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Ken Watanabe is becoming something of a patron saint of cinematic lost causes. In The Last Samurai, the Japanese actor played the title role as a doomed warrior with nothing left but his honor. He's at it again in his new film, this time as a World War II Japanese officer mounting a last stand against American troops in the critically acclaimed Letters From Iwo Jima. Watanabe, 47, spoke with Time's Michiko Toyama about his role, what it was like working with director Clint Eastwood, and the challenges of being true to the horrors of war.

Did you think an American director could tell the story of Iwo Jima from a Japanese perspective?
I was curious to see how he would go about it. But even Japanese actors such as myself were entering unknown territory. We didn't know the way soldiers thought at that time or the extent of their patriotism. We told Clint that we had to diligently search for the truth and research historical fact, and he was very understanding.

There was criticism that Hollywood made a number of cultural errors in The Last Samurai. Is Iwo Jima truer to the Japanese spirit?
I think so. The Last Samurai is a fiction. But with this film we were very thorough when it came to the historical facts. We paid attention to the smallest detail.

What did you learn as you researched your character, Lieut. General Kuribayashi, and the story of Japan's defense of Iwo Jima?
He was a commanding officer, so I was interested in how this war began, how they made such a mistake and ended up on the wrong path. I re-studied the war because I could not understand the thinking process he went through. It was a good chance for me to find out that there were people like Kuribayashi who fought in such a way, to find out how much they suffered.

What did you conclude about Kuribayashi's tactics, which some argue extended the battle of Iwo Jima at great cost to both American and Japanese lives?
He knew that Iwo Jima would eventually fall to the United States and that he and his soldiers would all perish. So he worked for the end of the war, so it did not spread to the Japanese islands, and so the Americans would not have to fight any longer this senseless war. All he was thinking was how he could make the Americans want to finish the war as soon as possible.

Do you see him as a hero or a tragic figure?
People should not be categorized. These men, in their own way, lived as best as they could. And I think that, in the film, Clint gave each a breath of life. People like that get destroyed. That's war.

Is this an antiwar film?
It is not a purely antiwar film by any means. It is not that simple. But Clint has an eye for describing war's atrocious reality.

The movie is coming out at a time when some people are concerned that Japan is beginning to remilitarize. How do you think the film will be received in this kind of environment?
I don't want to talk politics, but I think that everybody who sees it will understand what this film is trying to say. This film is not a display of patriotism, it is not an ode to war, and it does not treat the Japanese as tragic victims. It is a testimony to what war is.

Does the film show that Japanese soldiers are worthy of respect and honor?
During the last assault, Kuribayashi said to his soldiers: "One day, our ancestors will console our souls and sing odes to your bravery and shed many tears." There are such lines in the film. But war should not be worshiped or justified. We should always accept the reality of our military past and think calmly about what we can do in the future.

The characters you play have a habit of dying.
Unfortunately. [Laughs].

Could we see you in a comedy some time?
Right now I am in the mood for something like that. Or maybe a human drama, where nothing really happens, nobody dies. Just an ordinary story.

• Actor Ken Watanabe talks about his role in Clint Eastwood's new World War II film Letters from Iwo Jima